Items needed for setting up your solo truck

The only things you have to have is a good GPS, inverter/coffee pot, CB and a back scratcher. Oh, and one of the big and expensive brief cases to haul your paperwork into the truck stops to TransFlo it. And a big belt buckle.

The only time you need gloves is when you're brave enough to make a hotdog at the Pilot roller ovens.

 

We have you at about 1500.00 so far.

Machete, comes in handy; if you buy a back support it will slide down your back and up my your neck.
Only saying if you have to go pop in the brush, .

 

It's entirely dependent on driver & his use. Some drivers eat every meal served by a waitress or starve, some drivers eat every meal from their cooler. Some drivers would start a truck unless they had a 1000 watt CB & 40 FOOT dual antennas other drivers are happy to drive a west coast turn with nothing but a coffee cup. Wait until you get in your truck and then see how much space & what makes your job easier, otherwise your asking for a window shopping list.

 

True that.

I knew I would get a cascadia. So I bought the cooler and some food. That was it for the first few weeks. After that, other stuff started to accumulate. Good god, looking at my list... And that doesn't have a bunch of stuff.... I need to stop spending money on this thing.

Here's a few more things I've remembered:
3" memory foam twin xl mattress pad - Costco - $75
Thermos. Big one. Costco - $25. Holds two times what a philmor does and costs $0.10 more to refill.

I've priced out actually getting a 12v coffee maker and making my own coffee instead of buying it at a truck stop every day. It's cheaper to buy it at a truck stop with a huge thermos. If you're like me and can drink 2 huge cups easy. It's also a lot less hassle than making my own coffee.
I also carry those Starbucks via instant coffee packets. Two of those + water bottle = good cold coffee. For the days I park somewhere where there's nowhere to buy it.

Broom for trailer - Menards - $15. Seriously recommend the Menards brooms over any others. Cheaper and the clips that hold the broom to the handle when unscrewed have been perfect.
Tiny broom and dustpan for truck. Whatever
Trash bags
Paper plates and plastic cutlery. Trust me, washing dishes isn't worth it.
Aluminum foil. For the 12v cooker. Makes cleanup ridiculously easy and those aluminum foil pans that cost $5 for 3 of them are outrageously expensive. This roll cost $2 at Walmart and it does the same thing and I've used it 100+ times so far.
Bedding... My truck has a twin xl mattress so I had to buy new sheets but see what yours is first.
Rain jacket. Gloves. Safety glasses. Hard hat. If you're a baller, get the cowboy hard hat from the TA on I-80. Sunglasses. Shower shoes. Boots. Whatever other shoes you want to wear while driving. Get two pairs, never know when you'll step in crap at a truck stop.

Hmm. What else. Emergency food and water. don't eat or drink those thinking you'll replace them later. Ever. Get stuck somewhere in a hurricane/snowstorm and then you'll appreciate this one.

I think I'm running out of stuff. An emergency poop/pee solution? No one wants to poop where they sleep but what will you do if you're stuck in the middle lane and the interstate is shut down for the next few hours. And you just had to have the pilot hotdog with the nacho cheese an hour ago? Also, toilet paper. Just in case.

I put prices next to the items in the previous post mainly because you should see that these things cost a whole lot more at a truck stop. Don't buy stuff at a truck stop if you can help it. Their return policies suck and everything is more expensive. Points are fantabulous and when I do buy stuff I buy it at loves since they apply points to all purchases there. But they can be used for coffee/food and you still save money by shopping elsewhere. The tv is a big one for that. A truck stop 19" tv costs $240. It comes with a built in DVD player and plugs into a 12v socket. A Costco/Walmart 24" tv costs $130. Add $40 for a blu ray player and another $50 for a 350w inverter that plugs in... You just upgraded yourself to better stuff and spent less money.

 

Imo best gloves are the cheap ones. You will destroy your gloves at some point. At that point, buy more cheap ones.

Your company shop should have extra lights/fluids/glad hand seals. Same with flatbed securement items. I'm assuming you're going to a decent sized company when I say that. Get those from them, you shouldn't be spending money on company equipment. As far as lingo, check out the flatbed forum here, there's a thread there about it.

 

my experience was that I'd buy the expensive ones and they'd last forever, but after 3 months or so, they'd be full of diesel fuel, so it was like not wearing any gloves at all. Get the 3 for $5 gloves......they'll wear out in a month and you can move on.

The #1 thing I would buy is a "lunchbox oven". Man, that and some cans of soup, you'll never be without a meal. And don't buy the expensive foil pans they sell.......buy cheaper at Walmart or, as in the case of canned soup, simply put the can in the oven for about 45 minutes, and you're set.

 

For your first solo excursion I would bring as little crap as possible. You might find out that trucking is not for you or the company might decide to fire you and you do not want to be hundreds of miles from home with a bunch of stuff.

 

Confucius say man who pack truck too much get crowded.

 

Just going to add zip ties, several pens and a small notepad.